This double shot of Jeff Ilgenfritz is apropos given the current rate of output for the Orlando music scene doyen. If his return with new projects Corvus, Incorporated in 2020 and Florida Slang in 2021 was Ilgenfritz getting back up to speed, this latest one-two combo within a month’s span is him going supersonic.
First, Ilgenfritz unveiled a historical release last month as The Real Fritz with 10-song debut album All In Now. For the myriad bands he’s been in over the past two decades, only now is he finally stepping out with a solo debut. Of course, in Ilgenfritz’s case, solo means not only writing everything but also playing every note himself.
Ilgenfritz’s sound is by now well-known since he’s often been the primary force in his various projects, and The Real Fritz is a natural extension of that rather than a novel new chapter. All In Now is a continuation of his bright indie pop with folk and baroque flourishes, albeit with a notably more pensive tone tempering his usual boyish incandescence.
More than anything, The Real Fritz singularly embodies what scene insiders have long known: that Jeff Ilgenfritz is a fully self-contained force of song. Released by Orlando’s Post Records, All In Now now streams everywhere, but it’s also available on Illuminated Paths as a very limited cassette release.
The other Ilgenfritz-related project to emerge is perhaps even more groundbreaking. Brand-new band Great Graves is a much more serious return to punk for Ilgenfritz than his fun projects like Moonmen From Mars and the Mumpsy Misfits cover album. On their just-released debut — a self-titled five-track EP — Great Graves reveal a hardcore sound rich in emotional intensity and sonic complexity.
Besides Ilgenfritz — who played guitar, drums and synths on the record — the credentialed trio also features bassist Daniel Orr (American Party Machine) and vocalist Nick Sprysenski (The Punching Contest, Crutch & the Giant Junshi). Together, they mine hardcore’s more interesting and intelligent edges to forge something that’s as expressive as it is fierce.
Much of that emotional range comes from Sprysenski, who’s making an overdue return after many years. In outstanding 2000s band The Punching Contest, he roared with post-hardcore explosiveness. In subsequent solo vehicle Crutch & the Giant Junshi, he bared his scarred folk soul. In Great Graves, Sprysenski is finally able to merge these two powerful sides of his cutting, visceral voice into a stunning duality.
A ferocious convergence of emotion, dynamics and melody, Great Graves are easily one of the most exciting and fresh Orlando bands to emerge this year. Also released on Post Records, their exceptional debut now streams everywhere.
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This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2023.
